The Shinobi of the Stone
by lucesw
Summary: Neji and Hinata are left in Konoha after a nocturnal attack on their family. But they can't stay at home! Where will they go? Who attacked the Hyuga? Chapter 2 is up!
1. The Story Begins: Scavenger Hunt!

The Shinobi of the Stone

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or anything even Naruto-ish. You all know who does own it, Kishimoto Masashi.

Summary: The Hyuga family is attacked by Shinobi from an unknown village. The family goes to find out who did it, but Hinata and Neji are left in Konoha. What will happen and where will they stay? Naruto/Hinata paring a definite, others will come.

A/N: This is my first Naruto fic. Though I have read many, some things might not actually be in accordance with what people think, but I ask for patience please! And anything you might want to say, you can say it in the review! One more note, I don't know if there is a Hidden Village of the Stone, but I don't think so, so I'm pretending that it's a previously unknown village. Please R&R!!

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**_Bold Italics_ **Denotes Kyuubi/Inner Sakura

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

Certain Sounds:

**GOOMPH! **Means fainting

**DOONG!** Means shock. Just something that I like to do.

::blah:: Denotes time/time change

------------- Denotes scene/scene change

######### Denotes daydreams and sleeping dreams

Chapter 1: The Story Begins: Scavenger Hunt!

--------------------Hyuga's Home-----------------

::Late at night::

Hyuga Hiashi snored loudly. He turned over in his bed. All was quiet at the Hyuga's home. Hinata and Hanabi slept soundly too. A man in a mask crept in the building, silently. He walked through the halls without a sound – the perfect model of silence. The door slid open slowly, silently. He stood over the sleeping form of Hyuga Hiashi. Hiashi turned over as the man raised a kunai high above Hiashi's heart.

"Hyuga-sama! Watch out!!!" The man turned to see a guard shouting from the doorway. He had left it open? He jumped away and disappeared into the shadows. Hiashi had woken up, but the man was gone.

"Hyuga-sama, are you okay?" the guard asked. Hyuga nodded.

"He didn't touch me. He must have been scared away by your shout," Hiashi said.

"That's good, Hyuga-samACCK!" the guard screamed, dead. Four ninjas stood in the doorway.

"Hyuga-sama," one of them said, his voice muffled by a mask. "Come with us and no one will be hurt."

"Hurt? I think otherwise," Hiashi said.

"You force us into action, and you will pay," he kept on saying.

"Pay? BYAKUGAN!" Hiashi shouted. "Die!" He lunged forwards.

"Huuuuurk!" the man coughed, spurting blood. He fell to the ground dead from Hiashi's "gentle fist" style attack. The three other ninjas immediately jumped back.

"Hyuga-sama, we need you uninjured. Please come back or we will be forced to kill you," one of the three remaining ninjas said.

"I will remain uninjured while–" Hiashi started, but he sensed a kunai being thrown at him. **THWACKK!** It stuck in the ground as Hiashi dodged.

"You leave us no choice. Ninpou: Chakra Blade!" all three shouted, and suddenly three light giving swords were drawn. The blades glowed blue, like pure electricity glowing through the blade.

"HIYA!" the shouted, and they swung.

"KAITEN!" Hiashi shouted, twirling around in a circle with charka flowing out of his body from all directions. All three shinobi went flying back. **BAAM! BAM! BAM!** They hit the wall, and fell over, all three of them dead.

"Hyuga-sama!!" Two guards came running in. They stopped upon seeing the dead shinobi.

"Get the Fifth," Hyuga ordered. "They're dead. And check on Hinata-chan and Hanabi-chan!"

"Yes, sir!"

-------------------Hiashi's Bedroom--------------------

::Early the next Morning::

"But what was the purpose of their visit?" Tsunade asked.

"I don't know, Hokage-sama," Hiashi said.

"And where are they from?" Tsunade continued, dropping a forehead protector on the table. It clattered noisily, and on it was drawn two stones with a pickaxe in between them.

"I don't know. This is why I propose that I take investigate where they are and what was their purpose," Hiashi said.

"That is a good idea, Hiashi-san. But what about your family?"

"Well, I'll take Hanabi-chan along for training, and it'll be a good experience, but I imagine that Hinata will want to stay here. She can stay as long as the branch family is here to protect her. My wife will come with me," Hiashi said.

"That's a good idea," Tsunade commented. "But shouldn't you take some of the branch family along?"

"Perhaps. I will plan it out more thoroughly and come to you this afternoon with plans. By then, I hope to leave by the next day."

"Okay, I'll see you later then. Let's go, Shizune," Tsunade ordered.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," Shizune answered. She left holding Ton-Ton.

"Wah!" Ton-Ton cried, as they left. Hinata entered rubbing her eyes.

"Father? Did something happen?" she asked. Hanabi entered after Hinata as well.

"Yes, and I need to talk with you both. Good thing you're both here," Hiashi said.

"What is it?" Hinata asked.

"I have to go," Hiashi said. "And I'm taking Hanabi with me."

"What? But, father," Hinata started.

"Hyuga-sama!" a man shouted, running up to Hiashi. "I've just heard the news. You cannot go without brining the branch families also!"

"But what will the others do?" Hiashi said. "Where will Hinata stay if not here? And what about Neji?"

"They are old enough to find their own lodgings. I am sure they have friends that will let them stay with them." _Naruto-kun…_ Hinata thought. She quickly shook her head. There was no chance of that, but perhaps with Shino or even Kiba…

"Hinata, please stay here while I go and discuss this," Hiashi said.

"Ah…okay, father," Hinata said. Hiashi left the room with the man, leaving Hanabi and Hinata in the room.

"What do you think it's about, Hanabi?" Hinata asked.

"I don't know," Hanabi answered. She left the room, leaving Hinata all alone. Hinata figured that Hanabi didn't feel like talking to her, especially since she thought she was a better ninja than Hinata. Hinata sighed. She checked the clock.

"Ahh! It's time to meet for the mission today!" she exclaimed, and ran to her room to get ready. "Kurenai-sensei might get angry!"

------------------Naruto's Apartment--------------------

**BZZ! BZZ! BZZ! BZZ!** Naruto's alarm clock went off.

"Uh," he grunted. "What time is it?" Naruto opened his eyes and grabbed the clock. 6:45 AM it read.

"AHH!!" Naruto cried in alarm. "I'm supposed to be on the bridge by seven!!" He ran around his apartment, taking care to put on the necklace that Tsunade-obaa-san had given him under his orange jacket. He put water to boil and waited. The boiler gurgled and sat there, looking bored.

"C'mon you stupid machine! Boil faster! I need to leave!!" Naruto shouted, grabbing the boiler and shaking it, causing it to spill open and scalding water to land on Naruto's face. "AHHHHH!!! IT BURNS! IT BURNS!" Naruto shouted, running around his apartment like a deer caught on fire. He finally calmed down and got the water in his instant ramen cup.

"ITADAKIMASU!" he cried, and ate the instant noodles in a couple slurps, while gulping down milk in between. "Ah, that's good!" He looked at the time. 6:55 AM. "If I really hurry, I can make it!" he told himself. He opened his door and started jumping to the bridge to meet team 7.

"I'M HERE!!" Naruto shouted, upon reaching the bridge. Sasuke was leaning lazily against the railing of the bridge while Sakura was talking with him. Well, actually more like talking to him.

"Who cares?" Sasuke said.

"Kaka-sensei is late!" Sakura whined again.

"That bum! He's probably reading Come Come Paradise again! Stupid Kaka-sensei and Ero-Sennin!!" Naruto shouted.

::An Hour Later, 8:00 AM::

"YOU'RE LATE, AGAIN!!!" Sakura and Naruto shouted.

"Oh, sorry, but I had to buy food for this poor family, and then they needed a place to stay and–"

"LYING SCUMBAG!!" Naruto shouted.

"Anyways, ready for training today?" Kakashi asked.

"Training? We have enough training, let's do missions!" Naruto shouted.

"I'm tired of missions today. Us Jounins decided to do something fun!♥" Kakashi said.

"Fun?" Sasuke asked wearily. "Something fun?"

"Yeah, fun! So let's go to the practice area!" Kakashi said, and he walked towards the woods.

"I don't want to do this," Sasuke grumbled.

"Yeah, it's booooring!" Naruto complained.

"Yeah…" Sakura said. **_But it could be fun! Darn it, I want to do it!!_** Inner Sakura raged.

------------Somewhere Else--------------

"Alright, today we're going to rest," Kurenai said.

"Rest?" Shino asked. "Why?"

"Yip!" Akamaru barked.

"You tell her, Akamaru," Kiba shouted. "We want to do more missions! Right, Hinata-chan?"

"A-ah…maybe…"

"C'mon, even Jounins need rest. But that doesn't mean go home and sleep. Us rookies are going to do something fun!♥" Kurenai said, smiling. "Let's go!♥"

"Jeez, why do we have to do this," Kiba grumbled loudly.

"Yip! Yip yip!" Akamaru barked.

"Might as well follow," Shino remarked, and he walked towards Kurenai.

"We mustn't disobey Kurenai-sensei," Hinata said, quietly, and she followed Shino.

----------------Somewhere somewhere Else----------------

"ALRIGHT!!!" Ino shouted.

"Okay, so as I just said before Ino decided to interrupt," Asuma said, glancing at Ino who was still dancing around, "We're doing something with all the other groups today."

"Why? That's so bothersome," Shikamaru said. Choji glanced at Ino and Shikamaru while eating a chip.

"I get to see Sasuke-kun!!!" Ino gleefully cried.

"I don't feel like it," Shikamaru said.

"Yeah, why go to all that work?" Choji asked.

"HEY!" Ino shouted. "YOU LAZY BUM!!! LET'S GO RIGHT NOW!!!" Ino dragged Shikamaru who was scared to death.

"Ahh! Okay, okay," Shikamaru hastily agreed. _She just might kill me on the spot,_ Shikamaru thought.

"There's also food involved with the fun!" Asuma said.

"Food?!! Let's go, Shikamaru!!" Choji said. Shikamaru sighed.

"We're going," he said, and followed Asuma.

---------------Somewhere somewhere somewhere else------------

"All right!" Gai said. "Today instead of a mission, we're going to have fun!!"

"Fun?" Neji asked.

"Fun?" Tenten wondered.

"YES!!" Rock Lee shouted. "Let's DO it!!!"

"Why do we have to have fun?" Neji asked. "We should be doing missions, not slacking off."

"C'mon, fun is good for the soul too!" Gai said.

"YES!! LET'S GO!!" Rock Lee shouted again.

"The real reason is Kakashi-sensei is going to be there too, am I right?" Neji asked.

"Oi! You're clever! Yes, I have to beat him again! If I don't, I'll do a hundred one-handed handstand pushups!!" Gai shouted in his "nice guy" pose. His teeth flashed white.

"Idiot, you don't have to tell us that," Neji said. "Fine, let's get this over with as soon as possible."

"Waah!! Don't call Gai-sensei an idiot!! If he loses, I will do the same!!" Rock Lee cried, flashing his "nice guy" pose.

"Let's just GO!" Neji said.

"Alright, this way!!" Gai shouted, and he walked towards the woods.

-----------Somewhere in the Woods----------

"Jeez, those guys are so late!" Choji complained. "I'm almost done with this bag of chips." He looked in his bag disappointingly.

"If you weren't such a pig…" Ino said.

"Hey!!" Choji said. "I'm just hungry!"

"Yeah, plus you're the pig, INO PIG!!" Sakura shouted.

"Well at least I don't have a HUGE forehead, UGLY FOREHEAD GIRL!!" Ino shouted. Shikamaru sighed.

"I guess team seven is here," he said.

"Hey Shikamaru!" Naruto greeted.

"Took your time did you?" Shikamaru asked. "Not that I want to be here myself."

"Yeah, it's seems like it will be sooo boring," Naruto whispered.

"Hey, don't diss what we've taken a long time to prepare!" Kurenai said.

"Yeah," Kakashi said.

"Why are you saying anything? You didn't even do anything!" Kurenai shouted.

"Sorry," Kakashi said.

"It was actually all Kaka-sensei's fault," Naruto said. "This time we actually did have to help a poor family."

"Well, all we're waiting for his Gai's team, then," Shikamaru said.

"Yeah," Naruto said.

"Ah, he-hello, Naruto-kun," Hinata greeted, nervously as usual.

"Ah, it's Hinata-chan! Hello Hinata-chan!!" Naruto said, waving.

"This is so troublesome," Shikamaru commented.

"I-I think it might a-actually be fun," Hinata said. "Maybe…"

"Well, it could be, or might not be. I'd rather be doing a mission," Naruto said. "The main trouble was that Kaka-sensei was too happy to be doing it."

"UGH!" Sasuke suddenly shouted, bursting into the little group composed of Shikamaru, Choji, Naruto, and Hinata.

"Hide me!" Sasuke whispered, and crouched low. "Please!" The group suddenly huddled over, hiding Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun! Where are you?" Sakura chanted.

"Come out, that ugly forehead-brat won't bother you!" Ino shouted.

"What did you say, Ino PIG!!!" Sakura shouted.

"Nothing, HUGE FOREHEAD GIRL!" Shikamaru sighed again – something he was prone to do.

"Jeez, best friends and worst enemies at the same time," he said.

"Sasuke-kun! Come out!" Sakura pleaded.

"Whatever you do, don't reveal me or I'll kill you," Sasuke growled.

"Here, I'll help me, do this…" Naruto said, whispering something in his ear.

"Good plan, ready?" Sasuke asked.

"Yup!" Naruto said. "One…two…three!"

"HENGE!" they both shouted. **POOF! POOF!**

"There he is!" Ino shouted. Sasuke (or really Naruto) looked up, and started to run away.

"Get him!"

"Hey, will you two stop acting like stupid fan girls? I expect you two to act better," Naruto (or really Sasuke said).

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Naruto, you brat, bug off!!!" Ino said. "Sasuke, come here!"

"Hey! Don't ignore me like that!!" Naruto shouted, stomping his feet.

"Heh, the henge really works," Shikamaru said.

"You stupid fan girls! Do you even think what I…I mean, Sasuke has to feel?"

"…" Ino had no answer.

"Well, let's ask Sasuke. Sasuke-kun, do you feel angry?" Sakura said, brightening.

"Uh…" Sasuke said, looking at Naruto who was glaring at him.

"See? He doesn't mind!" Ino said. "Now lay off, you stupid brat!"

"Hey, don't insult Naruto like that!" Sasuke said.

"Why would you care?"

"Oi! You two knock it off!" Kakashi said. "And stop with your henge foolishness." Naruto and Sasuke looked shocked. They sweated nervously.

"Henge?" Sakura asked. **POOF! POOF!** Sasuke and Naruto turned back to normal.

"WHAT?? HOW DARE YOU, YOU BRAT!!" Ino shouted, tackling Naruto.

"Heeelp!!" Naruto cried.

"Poor Naruto," Shikamaru said, shuddering. **BAM!!** Ino punched Naruto hard.

"Hmmphf! That'll teach you never to do that again."

"Hey look who's finally here," Kakashi.

"Ah, Kakashi, my eternal rival! Today, I'll will beat you!!!" Gai said.

"And if he doesn't I'll do a hundred one-handed handstand pushups!!" Rock Lee resolved.

"Yes, me too!" Gai said. He flashed his "nice guy" pose.

"Ah, hi Sakura-san!" Rock Lee said, waving.

"Good morning, Rock Lee," Sakura said cheerfully, waving back.

"Gai, no need for that, because today we're going to have fun," Kakashi said.

"What?!!" Gai said. "Fun is competition!!!"

"Shut up already, and let's begin," Kurenai said.

"He's an idiot," Neji commented.

"Nn," Tenten agreed.

"WHAT? TAKE IT BACK!!!" Rock Lee bellowed.

"That's okay, Rock Lee," Gai said.

"But how can you take their insults?" Rock Lee asked.

"Because I'm really not whatever they say! Hahaha!!" Gai laughed. Everyone except Rock Lee sweat-dropped. _Doesn't that prove he's really an idiot?_ Sakura thought.

"Okay today we are doing…a scavenger hunt!" Kurenai said.

"A WHAT?!!" Naruto and Kiba shouted.

"And we'll do pairs, so please pair up!"

"Sasuke-kun, want to pair up with me?" Ino asked, coming over.

"No," Sasuke said. **DOOONG! **Ino was shocked. She recovered.

"Oh, stop joking, Sasuke," she said.

"Sasuke wants to come with me, right?" Sakura asked.

"N-naruto-kun…ah, do you want to be my partner?" Hinata asked.

"Hmm? Did you say something, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked. Hinata's face fell. _He didn't even hear me…_ She didn't think she could work up the courage to ask him again. Probably she would end up with Kiba or Shino…

"Hey, Hinata-chan, do you want to be my partner?" Naruto asked. _Eh?! H-he asked me?_ Hinata asked.

"Ye-yes! I will, ah, Naruto-kun," Hinata answered. She smiled.

"?" Naruto asked, oblivious.

"Sasuke-kun is mine!" Ino shouted, pulling on one arm.

"Yeah right, Ino pig!" Sakura retorted, pulling on the other arm.

"You both stop this right now!" Kurenai said. Ino and Sakura looked up.

"But–"

"No buts," Asuma said. "I'll pair you two. Ino, go with Choji, Sakura, go with Rock Lee." _YES!!!!_ Rock Lee thought. He pumped his fist in excitement.

"Alright," the girls meekly complied.

"Hey Shino, I'll go with you," Kiba said. "Your bugs might help with this."

"Sure," Shino said softly.

"Nejii! We should be together on a team!" Tenten said.

"Hmm…" Neji said. This left Shikamaru all alone. That is, alone with Sasuke.

"Looks like I'm stuck with you," Sasuke said.

"Yeah, you are. Man, this stinks!" Shikamaru said.

"I agree," Sasuke said.

"So the pairs are like this?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes!" they all replied.

"Don't blame me if you get angry with them. Okay, now here's a list of what you need," Kakashi said. "Oh, and we'll be playing too."

"Really? Time to beat yoooouuuu!!" Gai said, fire burning in his eyes.

"Asuma and Kurenai are on one team," Kakashi said, reading the paper.

"What?!!"

"Gai and I are on another team," Kakashi.

"WHAT?!! I CANNOT COMPETE WITH YOU?!!" Gai shouted in horror. "NOOOOO! I PREPARED ALL WEEK!!"

"That was a waste. Everyone, read the list," Kakashi said while Gai wept. Neji, Naruto, Sasuke, Ino, Sakura, and Kiba got a list.

_1.) A Scroll_

_2.) A Precious Artifact – don't steal it, just get someone to sign that you saw it._

_3.) A Precious Gem – Read above_

_4.) A Pencil and Pen with the words Konoha written on it_

_5.) A Poster of Come Come Paradise, the movie_

_6.) A Pack of Chewing Gum_

_7.) A Chess Piece_

_9.) A Go Board_

_10.) An Explosive Note that doesn't Explode_

_11.) A Bug that Lives inside a tree_

_12.) A Map of Japan_

"Oi, Kaka-sensei, why do we need a poster of Come Come Paradise the Movie?" Naruto asked sully.

"Because it's on the list. Follow instructions," Kakashi said.

"Idiot," Sasuke said.

"This is so troublesome," Shikamaru said.

"Ready, Sakura-san?" Rock Lee asked.

"Is everyone ready?" Asuma asked. Gai was still crying.

"Ignore this idiot," Kakashi. "When you collect all the items, please meet outside the Ninja Academy."

"Right!" everyone said.

"GO!" They all sped off.

--------------Hinata and Naruto------------------

"Ah, I don't know where two get number two and three…" Hinata said.

"Ha, don't worry Hinata-chan! I got that covered!" Naruto cried. He stopped and unzipped his jacket. "See? This used to be the first Hokage's necklace, so we got number two and three covered."

"A-ah, where did you get that?" Hinata asked.

"Heh, I won it off Tsunade obaa-san. She's really a bad gambler," Naruto said, smiling broadly.

"T-that's good," Hinata said. "I-I have a scroll in my home and a kunai with a malfunctioning note…"

"Really? Alright, let's go there now!" Naruto said, and they flew over there.

-----------------Shikamaru and Sasuke------------------

"Man, this is so dumb," Shikamaru stated. "And what's with number eleven? That's like personally favoring Shino."

"I agree," Sasuke said.

"I have the game stuff at my house," Shikamaru said. "I'll go get those. I'm pretty sure I have a map too."

"I'll go buy the poster, pencil, pen, and scroll," Sasuke said.

"Okay, I'll meet you at the bridge in half an hour," Shikamaru said.

"Okay. Let's go," Sasuke said. They jumped towards their destinations.

-----------------Ino and Choji-----------------

"Why do I have to be paired up with such a fat guy? It doesn't help my appearance," Ino complained.

"HEY!! I'M NOT FAT!!! JUST BIG-BONED!!!" Choji roared.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Choji! Forgive me!" Ino said. She had forgotten how much Choji hated being called fat.

"Hmmphf!" Choji grunted. "Well, I've got several packs of chewing gum."

"Good. Ah, I have the pen and pencil…"

"I've also got the chess piece and Go board at my house. Sometimes I try to play Shikamaru, but it never works…"

"Let's go get them," Ino said.

-----------------Sakura and Rock Lee------------------

"Sakura-saaan! We will definitely win this hunt!! Let's go find two and three first, they're the hardest!" Lee shouted. "And I can write the explosive note that doesn't explode!"

"Okay, well…let's see, I have a map and a precious gem that I got for my birthday. It's pink, though and I don't like it," Sakura said, frowning.

"What? It would look beautiful on you, Sakura-san! You should wear it everyday, it'll go with your hair!"

"No, it really is quite ugly, but I'll retrieve it from my house. Hmm…you should probably go get the pencil and poster," Sakura said. "I'll meet you at the store."

"YES!! I'll be there," Lee said, flashing his "nice guy" pose. "You can count on it!" He jumped away.

"Guess I'd better go get that map and ugly necklace," Sakura said. She left also.

-----------------Tenten and Neji-------------------

"With my byakugan, I can get the bug easily," Neji said. His eyes turned white and the byakugan was activated. "Hah!" he exclaimed, and he ripped a tree apart revealing bugs crawling everywhere.

"Wow, you're so good Neji!" Tenten squealed. She really liked Neji, but didn't know what he felt. She couldn't tell him anything unless she was sure…

"Let's go get the other things. There is a rare Hyuga emblem at my house – that'll be for number two. Let's go."

---------------Kiba and Shino--------------------

"Number eleven done!" Kiba said. The bug that had been in the tree crawled upon Shino and was absorbed…somewhere.

"Do you own any of these items?" Kiba asked.

"No," Shino said.

"Ugh, I don't have any money…I guess we'll have to go around asking people for them."

"That will take the longest," Shino said.

"Can't be helped, let's go," Kiba said.

-------------------Asuma and Kurenai-----------------

"Just because I'm on your team doesn't mean anything," Kurenai told Asuma.

"What would it mean?" Asuma asked.

"Nothing! Exactly!" Kurenai said.

"…okay…" Asuma said. "Do you own any of these things?"

"I have a precious gem at my house, and a pretty rare scroll full of love poems written by the great poet–"

"I don't need to know who wrote it. Let's go," Asuma said. He walked along the road.

"Idiot, we'll lose if we go that slow," Kurenai said. She jumped away.

"Hey, there's no rush!" Asuma said. But he followed her anyways.

------------------------Kakashi and Gai---------------------

"How come you have so many posters?" Gai asked. After crying for a while, he had finally gotten over the fact that he couldn't compete against Kakashi. But he still would win, he had proudly proclaimed doing his "nice guy" pose. "Of Come Come Paradise?"

"Let's see…" Kakashi said. He looked at all the posters hung up.

"Just choose one!!" Gai told him.

"Well, I want to pick the one I dislike the most, so if it gets ripped or anything–"

"JUST PICK ONE!"

"Okay, calm down, done," Kakashi said, and he ripped down one of his many posters.

"How many do you have, anyways?" Gai asked.

"Well, I have all original seven, but then the limited and rare editions came out, each signed by the actors and also I have several of the mini-posters that came free with the book. Then–"

"Question withdrawn. Let's go, otherwise Kurenai and Asuma will beat us!" Gai jumped out Kakashi's window. Kakashi followed, but only after carefully rolling up his poster and putting it in a cardboard tube.

-------------------------Hyuga Residence-----------------------

"Hinata-san? What are you doing here?" a man asked. "I thought you were out on a mission."

"Hinata-chan," Hiashi said, his deep voice ringing through the house.

"Ah, Hyuga-sama!" the man, a guard, said. He bowed. "Greetings."

"Hinata-chan I – who is this boy?" Hiashi asked, suddenly seeing Naruto.

"U-uh, we're on a mission and I just came back to get a couple things, father," Hinata said.

"It is decided – you have to find lodging somewhere else. If you stay here, you might get hurt," Hiashi said. "So perhaps if you ask one of your friends, they can help. Otherwise, you'll have to stay in a hotel." Hinata's face dropped.

"Hinata-chan has no home?" Naruto suddenly asked.

"She does, but no one will be here, and after being attacked last night, I fear for her. So she must get safe lodgings," Hiashi said. "And who are you?"

"Oh oh, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm going to be the Hokage! But right now, we're on a scavenger hunt devised by my baka sensei," Naruto said, lowering his voice at the end.

"Uzumaki Naruto, huh?" Hiashi said. _The very container for the kyuubi, and as I recall the boy who beat Neji in the chunnin exam. And if Neji is the strongest, or one of the strongest ninja's in Konoha…but can he control the kyuubi? He must have, I remember it clearly, after his points had been closed._

"Uzumaki Naruto, where do you live?" Hiashi said.

"In an apartment near the center of Konoha on the top level. Why?"

"Is there a lot of space?"

"There's two rooms, and a bathroom," Naruto answered.

"Hinata-chan," Hiashi said, turning to her, "I suggest you stay with Naruto-kun." _Wh-whaaat?_ "If it's alright with you, that is," Hiashi said.

"Well, if she doesn't mind living with me…err…I've never really lived with anyone else before…" Naruto stuttered.

"Then it'll be a good learning experience," Hiashi said.

"B-but father!" Hinata stuttered. She really wanted to thank him with all her heart. She couldn't believe that she would be living with…Naruto-kun. Maybe she would be able to get to know him better. "But father, what about you?"

"Don't worry, Hanabi and I will get those ninjas who attacked me. By the way, do you know where Neji-kun is?"

"No, father I do not," Hinata answered. She was on cloud 9 and could barely pay attention to…anything.

"Hmm. Well, get what you need and later, Naruto-kun, you will show me where you live."

"Yes, sir!" Naruto responded.

A/N: This will only be released slowly, due to the fact that I'm currently writing two other stories at the same time. I didn't want to start this yet, but I really wanted to write a Naruto fic. By the way, sorry if you don't know what some of the things are, but I figure if you have read the manga and/or watched the anime, you don't need a translation of things like henge or Kage Bunshin no Jutsu or kyuubi when I write these common ones. One thing I'd like to say about Hiashi. I believe that many people think he doesn't really care at all about Hinata, his own daughter, due to her poor ninja skills. This may be true, but the manga really doesn't show anything about the relationship between Hiashi and Hinata, so you may think he's acting out of character, but I'm going to make him loving. He cares about his own flesh and blood, for crying out loud. Though he may be disappointed in her, he won't care. And I don't think he's as scary as everyone makes him out to be. He can have a normal conversation. Anyways, Please R&R!


	2. Results and Inspection

The Shinobi of the Stone

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or anything even Naruto-ish. You all know who does own it, Kishimoto Masashi.

A/N: Woo hoo hoo! Chapter two is coming up! I'd just like to thank all the people that have reviewed, and say please continue doing that! The chapters should be longer than I normally write (in Microsoft Word™ it is about seven pages) because I don't update this story very much. I also realized that this story has no good summary, because the plot is nothing special…I need to think of a plot twist…hmm…while I do that, though, Please R&R!!!

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**_Bold Italics_ **Denotes Kyuubi/Inner Sakura

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

Certain Sounds:

**GOOMPH! **Means fainting

**DOONG!** Means shock. Just something that I like to do.

::blah:: Denotes time/time change

------------- Denotes scene/scene change

######### Denotes daydreams and sleeping dreams

Chapter 2: Results and Inspection

------------------------Hyuga Residence, Neji's Room----------------------

"Where is it?" Neji asked himself, rifling through his stuff.

"Wow, your room is so nice, Neji-kun," Tenten said, exploring.

"Where did I put it…" Neji said. "BYAKUGAN!" He immediately went to a as of yet unopened chest and opened it. "Aha! I got it!"

"That's great, Neji-kun!" Tenten exclaimed. His door slid open and Hiashi walked in.

"Greetings, Hyuga-sama," Neji said, bowing.

"Neji, the branch and main families are leaving, so you must find a different place to lodge," Hiashi said.

"What? Where are they going?" Neji asked.

"Last night I was attacked by Shinobi from an unknown village. We have to go find where they are from," Hiashi said.

"Oh…" Neji said. "And I can't stay here by myself?"

"No. They have a possibility of coming back, and I do not want the one graced with most talent in the Hyuga clan to perish, now do I?" Hiashi asked, smiling.

"Yes sir!" Neji said, bowing his head.

"Well, when you have lodging you should inform me and the head of the branch family. You may carry on," Hiashi said, and he left. Neji looked around his room a bit more.

"Nothing here, Tenten. What's the next thing we should look for?" Neji asked.

"Ah…hmm, I have a precious gem at my house. It's my mother's," Tenten said. She was slightly distracted as she said this, because she was thinking about Neji. More specifically, she was thinking about Neji staying in her home. If only Neji would agree and if her parents would accept…

"Then let's go," Neji said. "Lead the way."

"Right," Tenten said, snapping back to reality. They sped away.

---------------------Kiba and Shino----------------------

**DING-DONG!**

"Yes?" a man answered.

"Excuse me, do you have a precious gem and or a precious artifact?" Kiba asked. Akamaru barked excitedly.

"And why would I tell you if I did?" the man asked suspiciously. Kiba held up his scavenger hunt list.

"We just need you to sign here if you have it, for this scavenger hunt we're doing," Kiba said.

"Aren't you guys a little old to be doing scavenger hunts?" the man asked. Kiba clenched his fists suddenly.

"Yes! It's our stupid sensei's fault that we're doing one! ARGGHHHH!!!" Kiba cried out in frustration.

"Ah…okay. I have a rare plant if you'd like to see it," the man said.

"Really?" Shino asked. "I would love to see it."

"Okay, right this way," the man said. Kiba and Shino followed the man to a weird huge plant.

"Hmm…" Shino said. Kiba offered the man the list.

"Can you sign it?" He asked.

"Sure," the man answered while Shino studied the plant.

"Why do you keep looking at it?" Kiba asked.

"Here," the man said. He looked at his plant. "OH MY GOODNESS!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY PRECIOUS PRECIOUS PLANT?!!!" he suddenly screamed. The reason for this outburst was the mere fact that thousands of Shino's bugs were crawling all over it.

"Don't worry, he's from the Aburame clan. The bugs aren't hurting the plant, right?" Kiba asked.

"I don't think so," Shino answered.

"YOU DON'T THINK SO?!!! OUT!! OUT!! AND TAKE THOSE PESTS WITH YOU!!!" the man screamed in fury. _Uh oh,_ Kiba thought.

"Pests?" Shino asked. "Did you call my bugs pests?"

"Ah…Shino, don't get too worked up over this, I'm sure he meant no harm!" Kiba anxiously said. Shino's bugs began to crawl back to Shino, and the plant was in fact unharmed.

"YES!! NOW LEAVE!!!" the man shouted, not noticing his intact plant. Shino leaned closer and the bugs advanced upon the man.

"AHHH!!! G-GET THEM AWAY FROM ME!!" the man suddenly cried in horror.

"Do you want to feel the wrath of my bugs? Or wait, did you call them pests?"

"NOO!! TH-THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL BUGS!!! I BOW TO THEIR BEAUTY!!" the man cried again, in abject terror.

"That's more like it," Shino said, and the bugs crawled back to him and went into his skin. "Let's go, Kiba," he ordered.

"Right behind ya!" Kiba said, and he looked at the man who was breathing heavily. _At least he didn't do anything this time…_ Kiba thought. The man calmed down and noticed his plant intact. His face brightened.

"What was so darn special about that plant, anyways?" Kiba asked.

"Oh, nothing. But it was rare, I was just seeing if it could have any useful purpose besides this scavenger hunt," Shino replied.

"Okay…well, let's go to the next house now that we've got number two down," Kiba said. They knocked at the next door.

-------------------------Sakura and Lee------------------------

------------------A Novelty Store in Konoha----------------

Sakura landed in front of the store lightly. She could not see Lee anywhere, but she had a map of Japan and the hideous pink gem she had received for her birthday.

"Ohh, but it's so cute!" her mom had told her. "Sasuke-kun will definitely recognize you if you wear this!" It was so, so darn ugly!! _My mother knows no fashion at all!_ She thought. She waited. Lee still did not arrive. _Lee wouldn't not keep his promise…maybe he's inside, still buying stuff._ Sakura went inside. Indeed, Lee was at the counter, and it could be seen that he was arguing quite viciously with the clerk.

"But I need it!!" Lee shouted as Sakura came over. "Oh, Sakura-san!"

"I don't care, you still cannot buy it," the clerk said.

"Sakura-san, tell him how much we need this poster!" Lee said, and showed Sakura the poster of Come Come Paradise The Movie. It had a slightly suggesting picture on it, with a scantily clad female running away from a guy towards a palm tree on a beach.

"You must be 18 years or older to buy this, I'm sorry, that's the rules," the clerk said.

"No! It cannot be!!" Lee cried. Sakura patted his back. She turned to the clerk.

"We really have to be 18 years old to buy a poster?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm really sorry, but it's the rules," the clerk replied.

"But we need it for a scavenger hunt by our sensei," Sakura said, putting on her cutest smile.

"No, I'm sorry miss, but I'd get fired if I sold you it," the clerk said. Sakura's smile turned into a pout.

"Rats," she said, turning to Lee. Suddenly someone shouted.

"Why if it isn't huge-forehead girl!" Sakura turned around to see Chouji and Ino walking in to the store.

"What are you here for, Ino pig?" Sakura asked.

"Hmmph! Well, if you must know, we're getting item five," Ino said.

"You can't get it. They won't sell you it," Sakura said.

"Ha! They won't sell it to you, forehead, but they will to me!" Ino said. She grabbed the poster that Sakura had been holding and went up to the clerk.

"Hi, I would like to purchase this poster," Ino said in the most seductive tone she could manage. Chouji, meanwhile, was looking at the food in the food aisle. ("Need more BBQ potato chips if I'm to last this long with Ino," he said)

"I'm sorry, but you must be 18 years or older to purchase this poster," the clerk said.

"But I," here Ino winked "Am 18 years old."

"I'm sorry miss, but I already have a girlfriend. Do you have an ID?" the clerk asked. Sakura, meanwhile, was laughing with her hand over her mouth. Ino's jaw hit the counter. She quickly recovered, however, and replied sheepishly that she didn't. She walked over.

"Darn that clerk! I need to buy a stupid poster!" Ino said, sulking. Chouji came up.

"Oh? Did you get it?" he asked.

"NO!" Ino bellowed. Chouji backed away and, mumbling an apology. _Where's Shikamaru when you need him?_ He asked himself. Kiba and Shino suddenly entered the store.

"Hey, it's a party!" Kiba said. "What are you guys doing?"

"Trying to buy item five," Ino said.

"Well, too bad for you, we've got it already," Kiba said. "I just need to buy a pencil and pen."

"WHAT?!! HOW DID YOU GET ONE?!!!" Ino shouted, rushing over and grabbing Kiba's jacket by the collar. Akamaru yipped in anger and fear for his partner. "TELL ME!!" she shouted, shaking Kiba who was saying something unintelligible.

"Ino! He can't tell you if you're killing him!" Sakura said. She wanted to know how too, and she didn't want Kiba dead. Ino stopped.

"Well?" she asked.

"Number five? I asked someone for it," Kiba said.

"Actually, he meant a different number. We haven't retrieved number five," Shino said.

"Oh yeah, you're right Shino! I was looking at the list incorrectly," Kiba said, studying it more thoroughly.

"IDIOT!" Ino said, slapping Kiba on the face. **SLAP!!** Akamaru growled at Ino.

"Ouch!! What was that for?" Kiba asked contemptuously, rubbing his sore face.

"For lying!" Ino said.

"So it is impossible to get number five?" Shino asked. Lee nodded.

"Yes, they won't sell it to someone who is under 18," Lee said.

"I'll get it!" Kiba said, and he grabbed the poster that Ino had and went to the register. "Clerk, I'd like to get this!" he said loudly, annoying people and drawing glares.

"Are you over 18?" the clerk asked.

"YES!" Kiba shouted, almost reveling in the fact.

"Do you have ID?"

"YES!" Kiba said, and he brought out a card.

"No way!! I didn't know Kiba was over 18!!" Sakura said.

"Okay, I guess you are over 18. That'll be 1000 yen," the clerk said.

"HAHAHA!" Kiba roared in laughter. More people glared and one person even shouted, "Throw him out! He's so rude!"

"Yeah, read the sign!"

"Stupid!"

"HEY YOU GUYS! SHUT UP!!" Kiba roared. Suddenly the clerk pointed to the sign.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot sell you this poster," he said.

"EH?!! Why?!!" Kiba asked.

"Read the sign," the clerk ordered, and pointed to a sign. It read: _All Customers that roar in laughter and are a general disturbance to the public are not allowed to buy items from this store._ Kiba's jaw dropped in surprise and his eyes bulged.

"Are you jo-joking me?" he asked, more calm.

"No," the clerk said. Kiba walked back dejected.

"Idiot!!!" Sakura hissed.

"Kiba, that was very unwise," Shino said.

"Jeez, who'd have known they have a rule like that," Kiba said. The door slid open and Sasuke entered.

"Sasuke-kun! Over here!" Sakura cried, waving. _What are they doing here?_ Sasuke asked himself. He slowly walked over.

"Why are you guys wasting time here?" Sasuke asked. "Especially you, Lee, I would have thought you would be running everywhere to get items you need."

"Well, I can't buy the Come Come Paradise Poster, so there's no point in continuing," Lee sighed. "We lose already."

"Why not?" Sasuke asked.

"Because you need to be 18 years or older, Sasuke-kun!" Ino said very nicely.

"That's a dumb rule. Oh well, might as well leave and tell Shikamaru to stop," Sasuke said. He turned to leave.

"Wait! Sasuke-kun! I'd bet they wouldn't even ask you for ID if you tried to buy it!" Ino said, desperate to have Sasuke to stay. He kept on walking.

"Yeah, and I heard Naruto and Hinata already got one!" Sakura said, knowing that this would definitely make Sasuke try to get one. Sasuke stopped walking.

"Naruto…he got one?" he asked.

"Yes!" Ino said. Sasuke walked back and took the poster from Kiba.

"Yes?" the clerk asked.

"I'd like to purchase this poster," Sasuke said.

"Oh? Okay," the clerk said. "That'll be 1000 yen."

"You can put it on this," Sasuke said, taking out a limited edition Uchiha™ credit card.

"Oh, so you're the last survivor of the Uchiha clan!" the clerk said.

"Yeah, so?" Sasuke said.

"That means…your Uchiha Sasuke, right?"

"Yeah?"

"That means you're under 18. I'm sorry, I cannot sell you this," the clerk said. He gave the card back. Sasuke walked back to Sakura and the rest of them.

"How did Naruto do it? No one would believe he's 18, and I know he can't actually be 18," Sasuke asked. Sakura squirmed.

"Uh…I don't know, he just showed me the poster that he had…" Sakura lied.

"Maybe he took it by force…" Sasuke suggested. No one answered. Suddenly Naruto and Hinata entered the store.

"Hey, everyone's here!" Naruto said. "Hello everyone!" he waved. Hinata waved too, a rare smile on her face. They walked to a different section of the store.

"Woah! Did you see that?" Sakura asked.

"See what?" Chouji asked, eating the potato chips he had bought.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Sasuke asked.

"I did!" Ino replied.

"What what?!!" Lee asked, a fire behind his eyes.

"Hinata-chan!" Sakura and Ino replied at once.

"What about Hinata?" Kiba asked.

"Did you see how happy she was? And she didn't look like she was noticing anything around her!" Sakura said.

"Maybe they're on their last item!" Kiba suggested.

"You should know her better than that," Shino said. "It probably has to do with something else, unrelated to this scavenger hunt."

"Perhaps with…Naruto?" Sakura asked. She knew how many times Hinata had watched him from the background, how much of a crush she had on Naruto. She liked to compare it with her love with Sasuke, though only privately would she make this comparison.

"What would that brat have to do with anything?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh Sasuke, you don't understand anything about love!" Ino said. "And that just makes you even cuter!♥"

"?" Sasuke asked.

"Hey, they're back!" Kiba said, and Naruto and Hinata were at the counter buying something that was rolled up.

"Is that?" Sakura asked. It seemed that only she and Ino knew that Naruto really didn't have the poster.

"It must be!" Ino exclaimed.

"Great!" the clerk said. He put the item in a cardboard tube. "Thanks for shopping with us today." Naruto laughed and put his hands behind his head, carrying the cardboard tube with his right hand over his head, and it seemed he was chatting lightly with Hinata.

"Hey! Dobe!!" Sasuke called out.

"Hmm?" Naruto asked.

"Over here, idiot!" Sakura said.

"Oh, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said. "What do you want?"

"We want to know how you bought the Come Come Paradise Poster if you're not 18," Sasuke asked.

"Aha! Trying to cheat I see! Tsk tsk tsk, Sasuke-_kun_ I didn't think you were that helpless, heh heh," Naruto said. He began to walk away.

"Wait!" Sakura cried. "We really want to know!" Naruto paused.

"Well…if Sakura-chan _really_ wants to know…"

"Tell us already!" Kiba demanded.

"Please, Naruto," Ino begged. "I don't want to do this any longer than I have to."

"Yeah, Naruto," Chouji said while chomping down on a potato chip.

"Well…someone actually gave it to me…" Naruto admitted.

"Who? Who?" Ino asked.

"Well, first I asked Kakashi-sensei to give me one of his several dozen he owns, but he refused saying I'd get them dirty and torn. Next, I tried to buy one, but they said I had to be 18 years old, and neither Hinata-chan nor I are 18."

"Will you get to the poster part?!!" Kiba demanded.

"Hey you dog lover!! Hold on!!" Naruto shouted. Akamaru baked at Naruto.

"You tell him, Akamaru!" Kiba said. Naruto ignored Kiba and continued.

"So I went to my last resort, though it was pretty hard to find "that" guy," Naruto said.

"Who is it?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, it's the Ero-Sennin, Jiraiya," Naruto said.

"Whaaaaaaa-? You personally know a Sennin?!!" Kiba asked, shocked.

"It's true that it would seem very unlikely," Shino said.

"And since he's the one who writes Come Come Paradise, he gave me a free poster!" Naruto finished. "Though I had to trick him using the Sexy no Jutsu…"

"Idiot!" Sakura said. "You did Sexy no Jutsu in front of a girl?!!!" She raised her fist. Hinata seemed to snap out of her daze that no one knew why she was in.

"N-no! Naruto-kun told me to close my eyes and look away!" Hinata said hurriedly, not wanting any harm to Naruto to come to pass.

"Really?" Sakura said. She had once – only once – seen Naruto's "Sexy no Jutsu" and had regretted it the month after. She still got nightmares from it. "Okay, well I'm glad to see you're getting smarter, Naruto." She lowered her fist.

"Well, if that's it, I'm going to the ninja academy because that's our last item!" Naruto said, and he left with Hinata.

"He knows a Sennin…and that Sennin wrote Come Come Paradise…" Kiba said. "Unbelievable that Naruto would have contacts like that!"

"Curse him!" Sasuke said. His face was in the form of a death glare.

"Sasuke…who's your partner?" Chouji asked. He stuffed his hand into the bag and ate.

"Shikamaru. Oh darn it, I was going to meet him at the bridge. I guess I'll go tell him that it's useless, now." Sasuke left as Ino and Sakura had no more ideas on how to get him to stay.

"What should we all do?" Sakura asked.

"Probably just go to the ninja academy and say we couldn't get the poster. Then maybe we'll go home for the day and they'll dismiss us," Shino said.

"Yeah, good idea," Kiba said. "Darn that Naruto!!" he cursed as they left the store.

-----------------Tenten and Neji at Tenten's house-----------------

"Oh, hi Ten-chan!" someone that Neji could only assume was Tenten's mom said. "And who is this? Oh wait, it's Neji-kun from the Hyuga clan!" _She's seems really happy,_ Neji said. _Oh well, better to have happy parents, I guess._ "Tenten has told me all about you!"

"Mom!!" Tenten whined. She didn't want Neji to think that's all she said once she reached home.

"Don't be shy Ten-chan. She speaks so highly of you, I know you must be thenumber one ninja in Konoha," Tenten's mom kept talking, just embarrassing Tenten even more. Tenten coughed. It didn't work.

"Tenten is quite talented too," Neji said, clearly whishing to get off the topic of himself.

"Oh, I know you're just saying that!" Tenten's mom said.

"MOM!!!" Tenten shouted.

"Yes? What is it, Ten-chan?"

"We have a reason why we're here. We need to borrow your necklace with the precious gem on it," Tenten said.

"Why?"

"Because we're doing a scavenger hunt, mom."

"Oh, okay." Tenten's mom took off her necklace and gave it to Tenten. "You know, I've always thought scavenger hunts were really fun!"

"Thank you, mom," Tenten said, and she pushed Neji out the door.

"You can come back anytime!" her mom said.

"You go, Neji, to the store, and I'll catch up," Tenten said. "I just need to ask my mom something."

"Nn," Neji agreed, and he left.

"Mother?" Tenten asked, coming back.

"What is it, Ten-chan?"

"If Neji needs a place to stay for a while…"

"Yes, Ten-chan, he can stay here."

"Thank you mom!" Tenten said, and he left.

--------------------The bridge--------------------

"I wonder where Sasuke went? Why would he take so long?" Shikamaru asked himself. He had been waiting for a while now. "Maybe someone attacked him along the way. If that's the case, I should probably go help him." He thought for a while. "Nah, anyone that Sasuke can't handle, I as sure as heck can't." He lay down on the bridge and watched the clouds pass by overhead. "This is so much better than going on a silly scavenger hunt." The clouds passed by, and a few people crossing the bridge looked at him curiously, but nothing major happened.

"Oi, Shikamaru," Sasuke said, coming. _Finally,_ Shikamaru said. He didn't bother to get up; he felt he deserved to lie on the ground a bit longer.

"Well? What took you so long? I don't really care, though," Shikamaru asked.

"I couldn't buy the poster and that darn Naruto got one!" Sasuke grumbled.

"Oh?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, apparently you have to be 18 years or older to get one, but Naruto got one from the author of Come Come Paradise itself," Sasuke said.

"Hmm, I didn't know Naruto knew people like that," Shikamaru said.

"Yeah he also said…hey maybe we can steal one from Kakashi-sensei!" Sasuke said.

"Steal from a jounin? That's way to trouble some," Shikamaru said. "It's better to just lose. It's not like it matters, anyways," Shikamaru said. Suddenly Sasuke descended upon him and grabbed his collar. He had an evil glint in his eye.

"I…must…beat…Naruto…" he growled. "Let's go." He released Shikamaru and started walking towards Konoha.

"Jeez, his competitive spirit is too much. How bothersome," Shikamaru said, sighing. He followed Sasuke.

--------------------------Kakashi's House---------------------------

"Shh!" Sasuke hissed at Shikamaru as they entered through an unlocked window. Shikamaru mentally sighed. _I didn't actually make any noise…_ he grumbled to himself.

"This is too easy," Sasuke whispered. "Sharingan!" he hissed, and looked about for traps. He saw no telltale charkra signs that would reveal a trap.

"Okay, Shikamaru, take one of those posters carefully. If we rip one, Kakashi-sensei may not forgive us," Sasuke ordered.

"Why me?? Why don't you get it?" Shikamaru said.

"Just do it!" Sasuke hissed. Shikamaru took out the cardboard tube that Sasuke had brought to put the poster in. _Jeez, Sasuke must know a lot about Kakashi. I don't know that much about Asuma-sensei,_ Shikamaru thought. _Perhaps it's more of a fear factor than anything else. _Shikamaru finished un-tacking a poster and he rolled it up carefully and put it in a tube. **BREEE!! BREEE! BREEE!** Suddenly an alarm went off.

"Theft in progress…theft in progress…" a mechanical voice droned. Heavy metal shades slammed in front of the windows and doors. **BAM! BAM! BAM! **They were trapped.

"I told you this wasn't a good idea," Shikamaru said.

"Darn that Naruto!" Sasuke swore. **POOF!** Kakashi suddenly appeared.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"Hey, you guys shouldn't be stealing other people's property," Kakashi said.

"But we needed to finish the scavenger hunt…" Sasuke started.

"Fool, it's already over. I won," Kakashi said.

"Alright, then let's go home," Shikamaru said.

"You still need to go to the ninja academy where everyone is waiting. Step on the window sill and I'll see you there," Kakashi said. **POOF!** He disappeared.

"So it was a Kage Bunshin," Sasuke said. One heavy metal shade opened.

"Oh yeah, we should probably leave this here," Shikamaru realized, and he dropped the cardboard tube onto the desk.

"Let's go," Sasuke sighed. He and Shikamaru stepped on the window sill.

-----------------------Ninja Academy----------------

"Boom," Kakashi said.

"What was what?" Gai asked. **BOOOM!!**

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!" came a loud cry. Everyone looked up and Shikamaru and Sasuke were flying through the air, their clothes on fire.** BAAAAAAM!!!** They landed on the ground.

"Owww…" Sasuke moaned.

"Oh!! Sasuke-kun, are you okay?" Ino and Sakura asked, running towards the prone figure of Sasuke. Chouji and Naruto looked at Shikamaru.

"Oi! Are you gonna live?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah…" Shikamaru said, and he stood up shakily.

"Get off me!" Sasuke shouted. "Jeez, I can stand up by myself."

"But you might hurt yourself!" Ino said.

"Ino, let him get up by himself if he wants," Chouji told her, munching on (you guessed it!) some potato chips.

"Yeah, we should…" Sakura said. She stepped back and Sasuke stood up and brushed himself off.

"So who won?" Neji asked. He and Tenten had also been thwarted at the poster.

"I did," Kakashi said.

"YES!!!" Rock Lee shouted. "Even if I did not win, Gai-sensei winning is the next best thing!!! Yosh, I'm happy!!" He pumped his fist in joy.

"That's right!! I told you guys I would win!!" Gai said, flashing his teeth. Everybody except for Rock Lee sweat-dropped.

"Liar!!" Naruto shouted.

"What?" Kakashi asked.

"Kakashi-sensei, I got here first with Hinata-chan!! Hinata, tell Kakashi that he arrived after us!!" Naruto shouted.

"Idiot!! Don't we trust Kakashi-san more than you?!!" Kiba shouted.

"Bu-but it's true…" Hinata said.

"See?" Naruto said in triumph. "Hinata-chan knows what she's talking about!"

"Hinata-chan, is it true?" Kurenai asked.

"Y-yes, Kakashi-san actually did arrive after us…" Hinata said.

"Really?" Kakashi answered. "I don't remember seeing you guys."

"That's because your left eye is always covered up!!" Naruto shouted in fury. "Don't be dumb!"

"Oi, it's true. How bout we compare the quality of our items to see who's the real winner then?" Kakashi said.

"Great idea!!" Gai shouted. "With our superior items, we are sure to win!!"

"And if they don't, I will do one thousand pushups!" Rock Lee declared.

"That's my student!" Naruto and Kakashi took out the items.

"Well, we can disregard all items except two and three and five, because they're all the same anyways," Kakashi said.

"Why five?" Naruto asked.

"Why because no one can beat me on five!!" he declared, and he suddenly whipped out his huge 5 feet by 3 feet poster.

"So? I have one signed by the author of Come Come Paradise," Naruto said, and he brought out his poster that Jiraiya had signed ("You can have an extra special one!" he had declared).

"What??!!!" Gai shouted, his jaw dropping. "No! It cannot be!"

"Don't worry; this one is signed by the main actress herself!" Kakashi proudly declared. "So we're even on the poster. What have you got for two and three, then?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes!! We cannot lose here!! Look at my special Gem of Eternal Youth that burns with the fire of everlasting youthfulness!!!" Gai shouted, and he brought out his gem that no one knew he had nor wore (except Rock Lee). It was blue, and you could barely make out a little orange in it that sparkled when the sun hit it and seemed to be a roaring fire inside.

"YESSS!!" Rock Lee shouted. "The Gem of Eternal Youth saves the day again!!" There was fire in his eyes.

"Ha!! Items two and three in one package!!" Gai taunted.

"So? I've got this," Naruto said, and he unzipped his jacket and showed his necklace, the necklace of the first Hokage.

"What's that ugly thing?" Sasuke asked.

"Idiot!" Naruto shouted. "This is the first Hokage's necklace!!! It is super duper rare!!! It obviously beats that silly gem!" Naruto pointed towards the Gem of Eternal Youth that Gai just a minute ago had been flaunting.

"Hmm," Kakashi said.

"Where did you get that, idiot? You must have stolen it," Sasuke said.

"NO I DIDN'T!!! I WON IT FAIR AND SQUARE!" Naruto shouted. "Tsunade obaa-san gave it to me, so there!" Naruto stuck out his tongue.

"T-that must be a fake!" Gai said shakily, recovering from his initial shock.

"No, it's not!" Naruto declared. "So I win the hunt!!"

"Since when did Naruto have these types of things?" Ino asked. "I always thought he was a first rate stupid brat type of ninja."

"Well, he's gotten better," Sakura said.

"Don't ever underestimate him!" Kiba declared. "Still, I hate that he has that…"

"Huh," Neji said. "Guess Naruto won again."

"No, it's real, and it does beat your Gem of Eternal Youth, Gai," Kakashi said, after a close inspection.

"I WON!!!! YESSSS!!!! I'M THE BEST!!! I KNEW IT ALL ALONG!!! WOO HOO HOO!!!!" Naruto shouted, grabbing Hinata's hands and dancing something that made Naruto look like a fool.

"A-ah, Naruto-kun!" Hinata exclaimed.

"He's too happy over something so little," Neji said. Naruto continued to run around in a big circle shouting his joyful proclamations.

"You idiot!!! It's not that good!" Sakura said, stomping her feet in frustration and raising her hands in anger.

"That's just because me and Hinata-chan won instead of you and fuzzy eyebrows!" Naruto said.

"No it's not!! It's just that you're being totally overexcited! It's just a scavenger hunt!" Sakura shouted.

"Hmmph, you're really just jealous," Naruto said, finally calming down. Hinata was dizzy. She swayed and began to fall.

"Hinata-chan!" Sakura cried.

"Naruto! Catch her!" Kurenai commanded.

"Got you!" Naruto said as he caught Hinata in his arms. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah…" Hinata replied, nervously as usual. Kakashi spoke up.

"Naruto, I'm curious to know how you got that gem. The fifth used to guard that with her life."

"Haha, it's a long story," Naruto said, putting one hand behind his head.

"Does it have to do with her becoming the fifth Hokage?" Asuma asked.

"No, not really," Naruto replied.

"Please tell us, Naruto-kun," Kurenai asked. She too, was intrigued.

"Ah, I don't really want to…" Naruto said, a very odd behavior indeed for the number one hyperactive ninja.

"C'mon, Naruto!" Sakura asked. She was also interested.

"Err…" Naruto faltered.

"N-naruto-kun," Hinata started. "It can't hurt, right?"

"Well…it's kinda embarrassing. Though there are cool parts," Naruto said.

"W-well, we all want t-to hear it, Naruto-kun," Hinata said.

"All right. Well, okay, this necklace has more to do with a bet Tsunade obaa-san made," Naruto said.

"Ah, that would explain a lot," Kakashi said. "She's the famous sucker after all."

"And, well, Ero-sennin was teaching me a cool new jutsu," Naruto continued. Sasuke's eyes perked up. Perhaps he could learn more about this jutsu. Naruto hadn't shown Sasuke it…yet.

"It's really cool and really hard. And Ero-sennin was no help at all, he just explained something very little about it. But, heh, being the super genius that I am I eventually got it," Naruto said.

"But what about the necklace?" Shino asked.

"Oh yeah, okay, so at the same time we were looking for Tsunade obaa-san to become the fifth Hokage. We finally found her, but back then she was a bum, and didn't like becoming Hokage. Well, that's not acceptable!! I squarely called her various names, and was going to beat up upon her, heh heh," Naruto said, pausing in his story to laugh.

"You called the Hokage NAMES??!!!" Sakura asked in disbelief.

"Well, she wasn't the Hokage then," Naruto explained.

"BUT SHE WAS STILL A SENNIN!!! THE GREATEST EVER!!" Tenten yelled. Everyone stared at her. She never yelled. "Oops! Heh heh…" she said, realizing she had let her anger at Naruto for calling her Idol names take over.

"So we took it outside," Naruto said.

"You took it…outside?" Asuma asked. "Are you dumb?"

"Hey!! I was going to cream her!" Naruto said. "I had started to use my new jutsu that Ero-sennin had been teaching me, but she cheated!"

"She went full force against you?" Kakashi asked.

"Well…no. She used one finger…" Naruto said hesitantly.

"One finger? And you lost?" Sasuke asked. "You're really a stupid ninja after all."

"Hey!! She was more powerful than anyone I've ever seen!" Naruto said.

"Stupid, she still beat you with one finger," Sasuke said. "Does this story get interesting?"

"Yes!" Naruto confirmed. "After seeing the new jutsu, she bet that I couldn't master it within three days."

"And you did?" Kakashi asked. He seemed to be the only one who knew that Naruto could perform his Rasengan with a little help from a Kage Bunshin clone.

"Yes!"

"Just like that?" Kakashi asked.

"Well, it got messy with Orochimaru and Kabtuo being there…" Naruto said. Sasuke's eyes widened and his hand reflexively went to his curse seal. _Orochimaru…_ he thought. _That #$!_ Incidentally, Sakura was thinking the same thing.

"And I saw an ultra cool battle between Tsunade obaa-san, Ero-sennin, and Orochimaru, who ran away after being crushed," Naruto said.

"And what about Kabuto?" Kakashi asked. He had fought him before and wondered how strong he really was.

"Oh, I hit him with my jutsu, and he couldn't fight anymore," Naruto said. "It was awesome, you should have seen it!! That's when I sort of fell unconscious…but I also won the necklace!"

"Ah," Kakashi said. "Well, that's it…so I'll be leaving now. I'll see all you guys tomorrow. Be at the bridge bright and early."

"What's the point if you always arrive two hours late?!!" Sakura shouted.

"I never plan too…"

"Liar!!"

"Jeez, you should trust your sensei more," Kakashi said. He jumped away. Everyone started to move towards their respective homes.

"Want me to walk you home, Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked. She grabbed one of his arms.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said, grabbing the other arm.

"No, I don't want you two to walk me home," Sasuke said, taking his arms out of their grips.

"Wait, Sasuke-kun!!!" Ino cried as Sasuke retreated into the distance.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura also cried. The three disappeared.

"Man, those guys never stop. They should learn something," Chouji said.

"Wow, rare snippet of wisdom from Chouji!" Kiba said. Akamaru barked. "What is it, Akamaru?" He barked again. "Oh! Okay," Kiba said. He took Akamaru out from his jacket and set him on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Shino asked.

"Just letting him do his business," Kiba said. Sure enough, Akamaru had walked to a tree and lifted his leg.

"That's gross, Kiba. Tell him to go further in the bushes," Naruto said.

"Hey, a dog's gotta do what a dog's gotta do!"

"Why doesn't he do it in private?"

"It's just a dog!!!" Kiba shouted in frustration. Akamaru turned around and started barking angrily at Kiba. **YIP! YIP!! YIP!!!**

"Oh, I just meant in terms of…no, I'm sorry Akamaru!! Come baaaack!!" Kiba cried out, as Akamaru ran away. Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai came over.

"You guys know where to meet tomorrow, right?" Kurenai asked.

"Yeah…" Kiba said.

"Y-yes, Kurenai-sensei," Hinata answered. Shino nodded.

"Hey, Shikamaru, can you join us tomorrow?" Asuma asked.

"If the fifth doesn't assign me something troublesome, I might drop on by," Shikamaru said. He adjusted his chuunin vest.

"Okay," Asuma said.

"You know, how come we don't have a third person on our team?" Chouji asked. "Isn't it always vital to have three people on a team? Isn't that right, Shikamaru?"

"Yeah. Though it's probably due to the lack of shinobi available," Shikamaru commented.

"Don't worry, Tsunade-san has already noticed this and she is going to rearrange the other teams so everyone's even," Asuma said.

"Oh, okay," Chouji said.

"Well, let's go home, Chouji," Shikamaru said, walking slowly towards the city and away from the ninja academy.

"Yup!" They left.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Asuma asked Kurenai.

"What?!" Kurenai asked. "I beg your pardon?"

"Sorry, sorry, I'll go," Asuma said, and he started to walk away.

"Ah, wait a minute Asuma, I have to ask you something," Kurenai said, and they both also left. Tenten, Naruto, Neji, and Hinata were left, along with Gai and Rock Lee.

"Hinata-sama, have you found a place to stay?" Neji asked. Hinata turned a little red, though only Tenten noticed it. _Huh?_ She thought.

"Ah, y-yes, I did," Hinata said. Naruto was chatting with Rock Lee and Gai while they did one-handed handstand pushups as they had promised..

"Do you know why this is happening?" Neji asked.

"N-no, I'm sorry," Hinata said. "Father didn't tell me anything."

"Ah. Where are you staying?" Neji asked.

"A-ah with Naruto-kun…" Hinata said very softly.

"With whom?" Neji asked.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata answered again.

"Naruto?" Tenten asked. Why was Hinata staying with Naruto? She had her suspicions about Hinata, but she wasn't very sure.

"Y-yes," Hinata said.

"Hmm…that is good, Naruto has good eyes," Neji said. "But that's too bad, I was hoping to stay with you and I know Naruto can't possibly have enough space at his apartment." Tenten saw her opportunity to invite Neji to her house.

"Err…Neji-kun?" Tenten asked.

"What is it?" Neji asked, thinking presumably about where he was going to lodge.

"Would you l-like to come and–" She didn't get to finish, as Naruto came barging in.

"Hiya Neji! Hiya Tenten!! Hiya, Hinata-chan!" he greeted very loudly as he walked over.

"H-hi Naruto-kun," Hinata said.

"Naruto, I heard that Hinata-sama is staying with you," Neji said.

"…oh yeah!! I forgot!!" Naruto said after a pause. "That's right, she is. Why? Do you need a place to crash too?"

"Well, yes, but I wouldn't want to have two people imposed upon you. So I was just going to say–"

"It'd be no problem for me if it's no problem for you," Naruto said. "I have a smallish apartment, but three people could easily fit. If you can live with it, I suppose I have no objection if you want to come over." _NO!!_ Tenten thought. _I'll kill you Naruto!!!_

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, I'll give Hinata-chan the bedroom and us guys can sleep in the living room. It's not like we'll spend that much time in my apartment," Naruto said.

"Well…" Neji pondered. "Maybe…"

"No!! That's not necessary!" Tenten suddenly interjected.

"What isn't necessary, Tenten?" Neji asked.

"Because you can stay at my house, Neji-kun!" Tenten blurted out. _I did it!_

"I don't want to impose on your family, though," Neji said. "Don't you have a big family? Like four siblings or something like that?"

"Ha ha," Tenten laughed nervously, "Don't be silly! We can deal with one more person!"

"Are you sure?" Neji asked. He had a place in his mind where he wanted to stay. He actually wanted to stay with Naruto for several reasons and not with Tenten for several other reasons. One of them being he had met Tenten's mom.

"I'm sure," Tenten said decisively. _DARN YOU NATUTO!!! _She thought in fury.

"Whatever you do Neji, it's up to you. You can stay at my place no problem, but it seems that Tenten wants you to stay with her," Naruto said.

"W-what? N-no!! I'm simply offering a place to stay!" Tenten declared. _Why am I denying it?_ She thought.

"Hmm. Well, I guess since you already have Hinata-sama staying at your apartment, it would be rude to force another Hyuga onto you," Neji finally said.

"Okay," Naruto said.

"But, Naruto, you had better take good care of Hinata-sama," Neji warned.

"Of course!" Naruto said, and he and Hinata walked away. Neji and Tenten were left. Distant sounds of encouragement came from behind them, where Lee and Gai were still doing one handed handstand pushups.

"Well, I should probably tell Hyuga-sama," Neji said. "Let's go to my house." Neji sighed and walked towards the Hyuga residence. Why had he let himself be swayed so?

-------------------------------Hyuga Residence------------------------

"Hokage-sama, I have finalized the plans," Hiashi said, and gave a piece of paper to Tsuande. She read it.

"Good. Can I keep this?" she asked.

"Yes, that is an extra I have made. We are almost ready to leave," Hiashi said. "Everything's packed."

"And what about Hinata-chan and Neji-kun?" Tsunade asked.

"I don't know. I have yet to hear from Neji, but Hinata-chan is staying with–"

"Tsunade obaa-san!!!" a voice shouted. The only person who would call her that of course. "What are you doing here?" Tsunade's eye twitched and an angry vein popped out.

"What do you have to know about a Hokage's duties, Naruto?!!" Tsuande shouted, turning around.

"Whaaat?!! I'm just asking a question!" Naruto pointed out.

"A stupid one!!! I forbid you from asking any questions, otherwise you get the death sentence," Tsuande said, and she turned back to Hiashi.

"Now wait a minute, Tsunade obaa-san!!! You can't do that!!!" Naruto shouted.

"Oh? I can't?" Tsunade asked, turning back around to face Naruto. "And who says?" Shizune standing by sighed. _Tsunade-sama always likes to play with Naruto,_ she thought. _Probably because he reminds her of Jiraiya-san so long ago, and this is her chance to get back at him._

"I do!!" Naruto bellowed.

"Hah!! You couldn't do anything about it if your life depended on it!" Tsuande said, and she flicked her wrist to motion to Naruto that she was done with him. "No more questions."

"How dare you!! I'll get you!!" Naruto shouted. He put his hands together in the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu seal and bellowed "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!!!" **POOOF!! **Several Narutos appeared.

"Hah, like that will matter," Tsunade said. "I can do that. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," she said lazily, and one clone appeared.

"Take this!!" Naruto said.

"A-ah, Naruto-kun!" Hinata exclaimed. Shizune sweat-dropped. _He's actually attacking Tsunade-sama?_ **BAM!!** With a simple slap the Kage Bunshin of Tsuande had rid all of Naruto's clones.

"Why you!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You think kid like you can do anything?" Tsunade's clone taunted.

"RRRRRGGH!" Naruto shouted, and he started attacking the clone which again was stopping everything with one finger.

"So where were we?" Tsuande asked Hiashi, as the fighting in the background continued. "Oh yeah, who is Hinata-chan staying with?" **BAM! POW! BANG!**

"With Naruto," Hiashi said, not so sure as he peered at the fighting Naruto.

"DIE YOU STUPID CLONE!" Naruto shouted. "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!!"

"Naruto?!!!" Tsuande asked in surprise. _Why would Hiashi do that?_ She turned around to see ten Naruto clones trying to hit her clone. "Naruto, stop it," she said more seriously.

"Eh?" the clones said, looking up. The clone Tsuande gave a kick and hit them all.

"Waah!" **POOF!** They all disappeared and Tsuande released her clone as well. **POOF!**

"Well? What is it?" Naruto asked more calm. Hinata sighed in relief, as she had been tense all the time. But she was also amazed as she saw the power of the Hokage. _Wow, she was beating all of Naruto-kun's clones with only one finger,_ she thought.

"Are you sure you can handle having Hinata-chan staying at your apartment?" Tsuande asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Naruto asked.

"Well, if anything happens to her, it's your hide that is going to be flayed," Tsuande said, glaring her most evil glare. _Heh, that should get him riled up._

"Okay!! Yes, I'm sure!! I get the picture!" Naruto cowered. _Tsuande obaa-san looks really scary! _"I'll check on her everyday!! I'll make sure she's safe!! I'll quit team seven and join her team!! I'll stay up all night guarding!! I'll–"

"Okay, Naruto, that's enough," Hiashi said. "But since you're here, I would like to inspect your apartment."

"No need for that, Hiashi," Tsuande said. "I've seen it, and you don't want to. But Hinata-chan will do fine. What about Neji?"

"I don't know."

"O-oh father? Neji-kun said he'll be staying with Tenten. I think he's on his way," Hinata said.

"Tenten? Of what clan is she?"

"Ah…I don't know," Hinata admitted.

"Okay. Well, thank you Naruto for taking care of Hinata-chan, and I hope you'll keep to your word to keep her safe?"

"Yes, sir!" Naruto said. He bowed low.

"Go help Hinata to pack and then be off," Hiashi said. Naruto bowed again and left following Hinata.

"Heh, I guess he's going to be more mature when this finishes," Tsuande commented. "Shizune, let's go. Hiashi, the plan looks good and I'm sure Tenten is a fine girl," she said. She had met briefly with her, since Tenten considered Tsuande her idol.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Hiashi said, bowing. Tsunade walked out and Shizune followed.

"Tsuande-sama? Is it really good to have Naruto living with a girl…alone?" Shizune asked worriedly.

"What? He's not Jiraiya, he won't do anything perverted. This is Naruto, we're talking about," Tsuande said. She giggled. "I'd actually like to see what happens, because Naruto has no clue what he's in for!"

"Yes, Tsuande-sama," Shizune responded.

------------------------Hinata's Room-------------------------

Hinata and Naruto were in a larger type room. It was bare except for a dresser and mirror that hung in front of the dresser. There was a closet that Hinata went into and pulled out a suitcase.

"Oi, Hinata-chan," Naruto said, suddenly appearing behind Hinata.

"Naruto-kun? What is it?" Hinata asked.

"Do you need help?" Naruto asked. Hinata had been taking out clothes and packing it by herself. Naruto felt slightly guilty – after all, Hyuga-san had told him to help Hinata pack.

"Well…erm…I guess you can pack up those i-items over there, Naruto-kun," Hinata said. She pointed to a shelf where various loose items were placed.

"On that shelf?" Naruto asked.

"Y-yes. Here," Hinata said, and she handed a small bag to Naruto. "Put them in this bag, p-please."

"Sure thing, Hinata-chan," Naruto said. He took the bag and went over and started to put things inside the bag. Hinata packed her clothes and other things, like a towel and pillow. She also packed some of her favorite food; perhaps she could cook occasionally for Naruto.

"Oi, Hinata, these won't fit," Naruto said, and he came over carrying a box. Hinata turned around and blushed a deep shade of red as she saw what exactly the box contained, "feminine products." (A/N: Hey, she's a teenager!! She's bound to have some!)

"A-ah, I'll take them!" Hinata exclaimed in extreme embarrassment and put them in her large suitcase.

"?" Naruto asked. He, of course, was oblivious, not knowing what the things in the box were for. "Huh?" Hinata was still red as she finished packing and she zipped up her suitcase. "W-we can go now, Naruto-kun…" Hinata said, but she couldn't look at his eyes. _I'm so embarrassed!_ She thought, though Naruto would never know what about.

"Okay, let me take this and we're off!" Naruto said, and he took the suitcase and walked out of the Hyuga residence and towards his little apartment in Konoha.

-------------------------A room in the Hyuga residence----------------------

"Hyuga-sama," Neji said, bowing low upon seeing Hiashi. Tenten, not exactly sure what to do, did the same.

"Hello, Neji-kun. This is Tenten, I presume?" Hiashi asked.

"Yes, Hyuga-sama," Neji said.

"Good, good. Well, are you packed?" Hiashi asked.

"Packed?"

"Were you just going to live there without anything?" Hiashi asked.

"No," Neji answered.

"Good. Then after you pack, I will go with you and visit the house of…Tenten. Tenten, what is your clan?" Hiashi asked after a moment.

"Oh! It's the Nakano clan," Tenten said (A/N: Tenten does not actually have a last name in the manga. I looked. And looked. And was thwarted at every turn. So I made a last name up. If perchance you actually find it, please tell me in a review!)

"Hmm…" Hiashi mused. "Well, get going."

"Yes, Hyuga-sama," Neji said.

-------------------Tenten's house---------------------

::After Packing::

"Hmm…" Hiashi said. He had been "hmm-ing" ever since leaving his house. _What is he up to?_ Neji wondered. Tenten walked up to her house and knocked. The door slid open and a young boy opened the door.

"Oh, it's only you, ne-chan," he said.

"Only me? What's that supposed to mean?" Tenten asked.

"Never mind." He started to walk back in.

"Wait! Eiji, call mom out!" Tenten cried.

"Sure," Eiji said. "Yo mom!! Ne-chan wants you."

"What was that, Eiji-kun?" Tenten's mom called out.

"I said Ne-chan wants to speak with you," Eiji shouted louder.

"Oh!" Tenten's mom came running down.

"Hello Ten-chan. Hello, Neji-kun!" Tenten's mom said. "And who else do I have the pleasure of greeting?"

"I am Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga clan. I'm pleased to meet you," Hiashi said, bowing low.

"Oh my, the great Hyuga-san. Well, I'm Fumiko Nakano, Ten-chan's mother," her mom said, bowing also.

"I'm here to examine the temporary residence of Neji-kun," Hiashi said.

"Oh, okay. I haven't prepared anything, but I know what we're going to do," Fumiko said. "Neji-kun can stay in the basement with the boys. They won't mind him." They took a tour while Neji lugged his bags to the basement.

"So, how many siblings do you have?" Neji asked.

"Three. All younger than me, but one sister and two brothers," Tenten said. She smiled broadly.

"And your brothers sleep here?" Neji asked again.

"Yeah, this is their room," Tenten said. And indeed it was a boys room, for target boards and dummies littered with throwing objects (all sharp) were hung up on a wall, a couple action figures and models were displayed on a dresser between two beds, and there were scrolls skewed in random places on the floor. "One, who you met, is named Eiji, and the other is Kenji. My sister is named after Hana. She's a girly girl, though, as her name suggests." (A/N: Just in case you were wondering, Hana means flower)

"I see," Neji said. He needed more space to himself, or perhaps more older guys.

"Ne-chan!!" someone shouted. A small boy grabbed Tenten around the legs and hugged her. "Who's this?"

"Ah, Kenji, this is Neji-kun," Tenten said.

"You're not going to steal my ne-chan away from me, are you?" he asked suspiciously.

"No," Neji said. "I'm not."

"Good!" Tenten felt disheartened, but kept up her stolid exterior. _Perhaps after staying with me, he'll feel differently…_ she thought.

"So you're the number one gennin in Konoha that ne-chan talks about?" the boy from before said, climbing down halfway. Eiji stopped and waited for an answer.

"Not the number one, but probably among the highest," Neji said. He didn't like to brag, but he couldn't lie either.

"Ah," was all Eiji replied before he walked back up the stairs.

"All right, let's go and see if Hyuga-sama is done," Tenten suggested. "Then, I'll guess dinner is probably ready."

"Dinner?" Neji asked. He ate dinner by himself usually when he found the time between training. Actually, had it not been for this digression, Neji would have been training right now.

"Yeah, my dad and mom insist on eating dinner together as a family every night. It's very odd." Tenten walked back upstairs with Neji following her. _I don't think I'll survive here very long,_ Neji thought.

"Ah, there you are, Neji-kun," Hiashi said. "Is everything set?"

"Yes, Hyuga-sama. Please have a safe trip," Neji said.

"Where are you going?" Fumiko asked.

"Last night I was attacked by Shinobi from an unknown country and village. I'm going to track them down," Hiashi said.

"Wow, sounds like a very important mission. Why doesn't Neji go along with you?"

"It would be too burdensome. The branch family is already traveling with us, and we need to keep some people behind. Plus, Neji is old enough," Hyuga said. "And skilled enough. I will return someday, Neji." Hiashi turned to leave.

"We'll be waiting!" Fumiko cried out, waving as Hiashi faded away into the distance. There was a silence that followed. "Well, who's hungry?" Fumiko asked.

-----------------------Naruto's Apartment----------------------

"N-naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah?" Naruto responded. He paused from cleaning up his room to make way for Hinata.

"You don't have to clean your room f-for me. I can sleep out here on a futon…"

"Nonsense! I have to take care of you…or else Tsuande obaa-san might kill me! Plus, I'm a hardy guy and don't need to sleep in a bed all the time!" Naruto said, pounding his fist on his chest.

"O-okay…" Hinata replied. Naruto continued to clean up. After a while, he stepped back and wiped his brow.

"Okay, that's it. Whew, I'm hungry," Naruto mentioned. He opened a closet where boxes and boxes of instant ramen stood. "I think I'll just eat here tonight, instead of Ichiraku's. Do you mind Instant Ramen, Hinata-chan?" (A/N: I'm not sure how you spell Naruto's favorite Ramen Place. Is that it?)

"N-no, not at all," Hinata said.

"Good, because you'll probably be eating it a lot," Naruto said. He took out two packs and started the water to boil. Hinata went inside Naruto's room and sat on the bed, not wanting to unpack anything yet. _I'm actually in Naruto-kun's house!_ She thought._ I thought this would never happen! But I do hope father is alright…_ She hugged her knees. **Knock! Knock!** Naruto knocked on the door.

"Hinata-chan, the Ramen is ready," Naruto said.

"O-okay! I'm coming!" Hinata cried out. _And I do hope I get to know Naruto-kun better…_

"You should eat it while it's hot, Hinata-chan. It tastes better that way," Naruto advised, slurping down his own. Hinata took it and slowly ate the noodles hot, the warmth of the noodles paling in comparison to the warmth in her own heart.

A/N: Okay, this chapter was long. Very long. Too long, but I decided since this story isn't updated very often, I'd make the chapters longer (though don't expect this kind of length regularly). Should I make any other pairings? A quick review would help! I was also wondering whether I should put in a chuunin exam, which would be cool. Any ideas about these or the story so far, Please R&R!


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